


Experimental Love

by switchbladesandstreetsigns



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: F/M, I don't think Izaya can be counted as a victim, M/M, Shinra trying to use his friends as guinea pigs, Shizuo being the poor victim, love potions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9537881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/switchbladesandstreetsigns/pseuds/switchbladesandstreetsigns
Summary: For RukazayaPrompt: Izaya is given a love potion and Izaya drinks it by accident! The first person he sees is unfortunately (Or fortunately for us), SHIZUO!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rukazaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rukazaya/gifts).



"Shinra, how many time do I have to tell you? I'm not a guinea pig."

Sitting in front of Izaya on his friend's coffee table was a cup of who-knows-what. Even if he  **did** know it was just a normal drink and not some weird concoction, he still wouldn't drink it; it smelled far too sweet for his taste.

"Please!" Shinra begged, hands clasped together. "I won't charge you for your next five visits," he bargained.

Izaya just sighed and rolled his eyes, pushing the drink away from him. He didn't trust any experiments of Shinra's if he wasn't told what it would do to him. If the sickly sweet aroma was anything to go by, he'd probably get ill.

"If you're that desperate, ask  _that beast_. At least you know it wouldn't kill him," Izaya remarked. "Well, then again, I'm not sure that it would give you the results you're looking for."

Shinra slumped back in his chair in defeat. He picked up the cup and looked to Celty, who had been watching over the whole thing.

"Celty, dearest, would you mind putting this back, pretty please?" he cooed.

 _"Sure."_   She took it then held her PDA out to Izaya, trying to be kind to one of the few friends her partner had, despite her distaste for him. _"Would you like a cup of coffee?"_

"That would be delightful. Thank you," Izaya responded, grinning at the clear disdain she held for him.

Celty returned shortly with a steaming mug of black coffee.

 _Probably as black as his soul,_ she thought, handing it to Izaya. She imagined that she would be forcing a smile if she had a face.

Izaya cradled the warm mug in his hands.It smelled rich and bitter. Careful not to burn himself, he took a sip. It had a slightly different taste than what he was used to, likely from the different water. It was still good, and the heat it provided was pleasant.

He stayed for a while and listened to his friend ramble on about Celty. He found it amusing that a person could be so consumed by love for another, especially something that wasn't human. The love shared between man and faerie was fascinating, but not nearly as much as his wonderful humans.

After some time, Izaya stood to leave. As he was putting on his jacket, the world tilted slightly and he felt dizzy. He tried to reach for something to support himself, but the ground slid from his feet and came rushing up to catch him. Shinra rushed over and shook his shoulder.

"Izaya! Can you hear me?"

Nothing. Izaya was entirely still aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath.

 _"I think he'll be okay ;)"_ Celty typed, showing the message to Shinra.

"...Do you know something I don't?" he asked.

 _"I just did you a little favour, that's all,"_ she answered, than walked off.

Shinra frowned in confusion, but didn't dwell on it too long. He had to make sure that Izaya wasn't hurt. Lifting Izaya, he carried him into one of the spare rooms and laid him on the bed. Just then, his eyes went wide as the light bulb flickered on.

"Oh! Celty!" he cried, rushing out of the room to his beloved. "Thank you!" He hugged her tightly. "You're the best!"

 _"It was no big deal,"_ she laughed.  _"Better hurry up before he wakes."_

"Right!"

\--

Izaya groaned as he opened his eyes. The fluorescent lights blinded him.

 _What happened?_ he wondered.

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. He was alone. Sitting up, he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood. Nothing felt like it was injured. There was no sound from the other room, so he went to investigate. The apartment was empty.

 _Maybe he had an emergency call,_ he thought.  _But why would Celty go with? Ahh, maybe since she doesn't like me..._

He was just about to sit down when a key hit the lock. He waited to see who it was. When the door swung open, his entire body froze, breathing halting. His heart began to pound.

"Shizu-chan...?" he questioned.

"Oh. You're awake." Shizuo's tone was flat with irritation. "I'm supposed to look after you while Shinra's gone." He stepped further into the apartment.

Without warning, Izaya lunged at Shizuo, attempting to hug him. He was thrown to the floor out of reflex.

"Ow... Shizu-chan, that was mean! I was just trying to show my affection!" Izaya whined.

"'Affection'? Yeah, right!" Shizuo snorted. "More like trying to stab me!"

"Why would I do that? I love Shizu-chan!" Izaya looked insulted.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Shizuo asked incredulously.

Izaya approached slowly, looking up at Shizuo almost like a puppy.

"Does that mean Shizu-chan doesn't like me back?"

That wasn't fair. The innocent look on his face, he soft tone of his voice, the way he made himself look so small. It just wasn't fair. It made Shizuo feel a pang of guilt. Reluctantly, he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Izaya in an awkward hug.

"No... It's not that. Uh... Never mind." Shizuo palmed the back of his neck. "Uh, do you feel all right?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I feel better now that you're here," Izaya answered, taking Shizuo's hand and pulling him over to the couch.

Shizuo didn't protest. He figured that the flea must be playing some kind of trick on him. There was no way anything coming out of his mouth was the truth. He let Izaya settle against his side. No harm was being done, so he figured if he just let the flea do what he wanted, he would eventually get bored and give it up.

Izaya nuzzled close, wanting to have some kind of physical contact. He backed off slightly when he felt Shizuo move away a bit. He curled into himself, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his actions. Was he being too clingy? How much was too much? Did Shizuo actually hate him and he was just lying to protect his feelings?

He got up and walked back into the bedroom and seated himself on the edge of the bed. He just wanted to be close to the one person he cared about. He didn't mean any harm. His chest and throat felt tighter and tighter the more he thought about it.

In the living room, Shizuo felt that something in the way that Izaya walked away wasn't fake. He sent a text to Shinra.

_"Izaya's acting really strange. He told me he loves me."_

_"Oh...right. About that... You see, I may have given him a little, uh...mixture that would make him fall in love with the first person he sees after it takes effect."_

_"You what?! Did you send me over here on purpose then?!"_

_"...Maybe. But don't worry! It'll wear off in a few days."_

_"You are so paying me back for this."_

_"Right."_

Shizuo put his phone down and followed Izaya to the bedroom. He stopped in front of Izaya.

"Hey," he started. "I'm sorry about what I said. I was just confused by your sudden behaviour."

Izaya looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. Then he returned to looking at his feet. He only looked up again when Shizuo put a hand in front of his face, offering it to him. He slowly took it, unsure what Shizuo was doing, but it made him happy nonetheless.

Shizuo pulled Izaya to his feet and into a hug, and not a side hug or any half-assed thing like that. It was a strong embrace, one meant to make him feel better. He felt Izaya hug back, his arms wrapped tight around his back.

"Thank you," Izaya murmured into Shizuo's shirt. The warmth he gave off was comforting.

All the while, Shizuo found himself finding that this wasn't so bad. He just hoped that by the time the effects wore off, he would be able to let go.


	2. Ch. 2

Shizuo decided to take Izaya home with him. He kept reminding himself:  _It'll only be a couple days._ But from what he'd seen already, it might not be as bad as he would normally expect.

Izaya took some time to get acquainted with his new surroundings, but pretty soon, he was curled up in the corner of the couch with a blanket. It smelled like Shizuo, like cigarettes. And so did the whole apartment, faintly. He didn't find it to be unpleasant in the least, as it reminded him of Shizuo.

Shizuo managed to settle in, but it took a little bit to get used to having Izaya there. He was slightly put off bu Izaya's honesty at first. He was complimented often, though they weren't said directly to him, and he wasn't even sure if Izaya was aware that he could be heard. Most of the time, it was just off-hand comments about whatever was on TV; things such as, "Shizu-chan is too kind to do that,' or "that actor isn't nearly as handsome as Shizu-chan," and so on. It made Shizuo wonder if Izaya always had these thoughts, or if it was completely an effect of the potion.

As the evening grew nearer, oddly enough, so did Izaya. He had slowly and not as stealthily as one would expect from him been closing the gap between him and Shizuo. Then, when Shizuo got up to order them some sushi from Simon (because there was no way he was going to go out anywhere with Izaya lest they be seen as a couple), Izaya was practically on top of him when he sat back down. However, Izaya still seemed to have some concept of personal space. Either that, or he recalled how Shizuo first reacted when he'd suddenly hugged him earlier, as even though he'd found his way next to Shizuo, he didn't smother him. Instead, he was content just leaning into his shoulder where it was warm.

Despite being silent all through dinner, it was a comfortable silence. Izaya insisted that he pay the bill, so Shizuo let him, despite Izaya being the "guest." He figured it was better to keep him happy.

When Shizuo stretched out and laid on the couch to relax, he was reluctant to let Izaya lay in front of him. It just didn't feel right. That was something more intimate for official couples to do.

_Wait. Did I just think of us in terms of a couple? No, no. Not possible. This is only temporary._

Eventually, he gave in to Izaya's request, scooting deeper into the back of the couch to make enough room for the smaller male to fit. Izaya nestled in happily, having found the blanket again after dinner and curled up. It surprised Shizuo that Izaya looked so small laying like that. He fit snugly right next to his chest, and Shizuo could smell the usual flea scent. It was a familiar smell, always filling the city whenever Izaya was around. Maybe it was because he was full and content, but he didn't actually mind the smell all that much, and found that the longer he breathed it, the more pleasant in became.

Izaya was tired, fighting to keep his eyes open. There was a little whisper, like the metaphorical devil on his shoulder, or maybe in this case it was the angel, telling him that it was dangerous to sleep there. It nagged at him, but he didn't understand what was so dangerous. He was full, warm, and comfortable, and not to mention safe, being right next to Ikebukuro's strongest. It was the perfect recipe for sleep. When he shut his eyes, the nagging quieted, allowing for unconsciousness to take him.

It wasn't until Izaya's weight pressed a little heavier against Shizuo and quiet snores reached his ears that he even realized that Izaya was asleep. He had to admit, he was feeling pretty tired himself, and sleep sounded wonderful after the day he'd had.

_Should I just let him sleep here? No, that's not right. Even if it is Izaya, he's still a guest._

Coming to a decision, he sat up carefully, as to not wake the sleeping informant. He lifted him, slightly surprised by how little Izaya weighed, and brought him to the bedroom. If Izaya had been awake, perhaps Shizuo would've offered a change of clothes to sleep in. He may have a distaste for Izaya (though that distaste seemed to be quickly dwindling the more he saw this more domestic side of Izaya), but he was raised to show kindness and hospitality to guests. For now, he laid Izaya down and pulled the blankets up and over him.

He was about to go back to the couch to sleep when Izaya made a dissatisfied whine at the loss of his comforting heat. Izaya wiggled a little like he was searching for it. Not finding it, he let out a long breath as he fell back into a peaceful sleep.

Though the bed wasn't overly large, with the way he was curled, it made Izaya look tiny and alone, like an abandoned kitten. Sighing, Shizuo made up his mind. He would share the bed. There was plenty of room and it would treat his body much better than the couch would. Changing into his pajamas, he climbed into his bed, keeping a space between him and Izaya. Despite the unusual circumstances, he fell asleep quickly, ignoring the thoughts that Izaya could wake up back to his normal self and attempt to kill him while he was still asleep.

When Shizuo cracked his eyes open the next morning, he nearly fell off the bed in shock, taking the blankets with him. Curled in his arms, snuggled up to his chest, and still peacefully sleeping was Izaya. It took Shizuo's brain a moment to clear and catch up with what was going on. He jumped again when Izaya grunted softly and shifted closer, trying to get away from the cool air of the room that Shizuo had accidentally exposed him to. Calming himself down, he pulled the blankets back up to Izaya's neck. There was something about seeing Izaya sleep that made Shizuo want to treat him like a child; he wanted to tuck him in, to soothe him when he squirmed.

Liking the peace that came with this, he didn't want to wake Izaya, so he stayed, not wanting to risk it. Every so often, Izaya would mumble something incoherent and then smile. Shizuo was stunned by how innocent and genuine that smile was. He'd never seen such a thing from Izaya before.

Startling both of them and waking Izaya, Shizuo's phone rang. He quickly answered it to shut it up.

"Hello?" "Ah, no, that's fine." "Okay, I'll be there shortly."

Despite the embarrassment Izaya still felt from being so close, he looked at Shizuo questioningly.

"I didn't want to have to leave you here alone, but Tom wants me to come in for a while," Shizuo explained, getting out of the bed.

"It's okay, Shizu-chan. I can take care of myself." There was a hint of Izaya's usual tone.

Shizuo hurried and got ready, Izaya lazily watching him scramble from place to place. Before Shizuo got out the door, teasingly, Izaya called, "Have a good day at work, honey!" He laughed hysterically  at Shizuo's beet-red face.

Izaya looked around after Shizuo left. The apartment was on the smaller side, so it got disorganized and dirty quickly. He decided to keep himself busy rather than sit in boredom. Plus, with the potion still having some affect, he felt like he had to do  _something_ for Shizuo in return for letting him stay.

Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, even changing the sheets and cleaning the bathroom - Izaya did it all. Sometime in the midst of his many activities, he called Namie and requested clean clothes to be dropped of. She did it, not overly happy about traveling the distance from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro. Surprisingly, she didn't say anything about him being at Shizuo's place. She didn't really care.

Clean clothes in hand, sweaty and filthy, Izaya wanted a well-deserved, hot shower. As he relaxed in the water and steam, that nagging returned, only louder and more persistent. It was annoying. It only got worse when Shizuo got home.

He had been toweling off in the bathroom when he heard Shizuo call out to him. The sound made him shiver despite the heat from the shower. His hair stood on end and there was an impulse to run, to hide, to get as far away as possible.

Shizuo knocked on the bathroom door. "Izaya? You in there?"

"Y-yeah, I'll be out in a second," he answered. He hated the stutter in his voice.

"Hey..." Shizuo started, still talking through the door. "Did you clean all of this yourself?"

Izaya steeled his nerves and pushed the nagging voice out of his mind and walked out, dressed in his pants with a towel around his shoulders.

"Yeah, why?"

Shizuo turned to answer him but stopped when he saw the topless Izaya. He and many others had always considered Izaya a physically attractive man, but this was a whole new level. Even in the boys' locker room at school, Izaya had been pretty quick to change, so Shizuo never got to see him like that. He swallowed thickly and attempted to speak.

"You, uh, didn't have to do that... Thanks."

A thought occurred to him mid-sentence.  _What is he did it looking for a reward? And now he's standing half-naked in front of me! What do I do?!_

Izaya replied nonchalantly, "It's no big deal. Kept me busy." He gave his best smile, finding flustered Shizuo to be quite amusing, and perhaps kinda cute.

For a second, his mind tried to deny that he'd thought "cute." His mouth twitched at a new thought. As innocently as possible, he stepped closer to Shizuo and hugged him, forcing Shizuo to feel every part of him. Close to his ear, he whispered, "I love you, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo could feel his heart hammering against his ribs. He felt hot all of a sudden. But when those words processed, he froze. The words themselves were like drugged Izaya, but the tone, the lilt, was very much like typical Izaya. Which was it coming from? Thinking it was more likely coming from drugged Izaya, he played along, though there may have been a tiny hint of honesty.

"I think... I love you, too."

Izaya felt strong arms wrap around his back as the words reached his ears. That wasn't the response he expected.

_As unpredictable as ever._

He furrowed his brow. He should be happy. No. He should e disgusted. What? Those are two completely different things. Why... Why were his thoughts and feelings conflicting? Maybe he's just exhausted. Yeah, that must be it. A good night's sleep and he'll be good as new.

Dinner, then bed. Bed shared with Shizuo. No... Yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. I wrote and rewrote this chapter multiple times. I think I'm finally happy with it. This one also ended up being longer than I initially thought it would be. I hope you like it! There will be one more chapter, probably not as long as this one because I got kinda carried away on this one ^^'


	3. Ch. 3

_What's that sound? Why is it so warm? What's this heavy thing? Where am I?_

Izaya lay somewhere between sleep and wake. Everything was hazy. His hearing and vision was distorted. He blinked a few times. Shizuo lay just inches from his face.

_Oh, it's just Shizu-chan... Shizu-chan? Shizu-chan?!_

Panic coursing through his veins, he shot up and pushed away roughly, enough to wake the sleeping blond. He looked around wildly. This was not his room, his bed, his anything.

"Izaya? What's wrong?!" Shizuo asked, alarmed.

"What kind of sick joke is this?!" Izaya hissed.

"Joke?" Shizuo echoed. He sat up and looked clearly at Izaya. "Oh."

It all made sense now. Izaya was back - the real Izaya. Shizuo's shoulders dropped and his expression quickly went downcast. He should've been ready for this; it was inevitable. He took a breath.

"Izaya, Shinra drugged you," he started slowly and calmly. "It made you believe you love me. You've been here for the last two days. Do you remember any of it?"

A memory echoed through Izaya's mind, then another and another until it was like a floodgate had been opened. But one thing stuck out among all the others.

_"I love you, Shizu-chan."_

_"I think... I love you, too."_

Izaya hadn't even realized he was crying until a tear landed on his hand. He touched his face. It was wet.

Shizuo called softly to him, not wanting to startle him. "Izaya? Are you okay?"

Izaya snorted."Of course I am! I get to go home now! Ahahaha! I don't have to be stuck here with you!" He kept laughing, laughing, laughing, crying, sobbing.

Shizuo slowly reached his hand out to Izaya the same way he would to an injured animal, urging him closer. He hugged the informant tightly, letting him cry unseen. Shizuo had finally understood everything now. The concoction Shinra had made wasn't to make Izaya love someone; it made him truthful to his innermost feelings.

_"I love you, Shizu-chan."_

Izaya quieted and stilled, but Shizuo didn't release his grip. His heart felt both light as a feather and like it was being squeezed with a vice. Someone actually loved him for who he was. He was elated, but he also felt like crying.

He did, silent, happy tears.

"What are you crying for?" Izaya asked, finding his voice again.

"Thank you."

It wasn't an answer to the question, but it was the only response Shizuo gave. He was sure Izaya already knew what he meant, or would figure it out quickly.

Neither made any move to separate. They were afraid that the whole situation would shatter and that this was all a dream. They didn't want to lose this. They didn't want everything to go back to their everyday lives of chasing and being chased. In that moment, they were both so fragile that a single movement could break them, so they stayed. It felt like hours, but it had really only been a few minutes.

Finally, Izaya pulled back just a little to look up at Shizuo. "Your hair's a mess," he commented lightly, ruffling Shizuo's hair and letting in fall through his fingers. "Say," he started softly. "Wanna go kill Shinra with me? We can count it as our first date.

Shizuo was struck by Izaya's boldness, but it was a good idea. It might actually make him feel better and like everything wasn't going to fall apart the moment they got up. "Sure," he chuckled. "That sounds nice."

They got ready as though this was their usual morning routine. In just a few minutes, they were out the door. People instinctively backed away and ran at the sight of them, but some were curious enough about why they weren't trying to kill each other to stick around. Nothing happened. Only a friendly banter. Was the world coming to an end? No. But maybe this would make Ikebukuro a safer place... Once they had their way with Shinra.

"Oh, Shi~nra~!! Wanna come and play?!"

Though she had helped Shinra get into this situation, Celty wasn't willing to get in the way of Ikebukuro's two strongest men while they were angry.

 

R.I.P. Shinra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of it. I wish this chapter was just a little longer, but I couldn't think of how to extend it in a way that I liked. I hope that you all liked it! It took a while, but it's done.

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being much longer than I had initially planned. I hope you enjoyed it! I've never written anything quite like this, so I hope it's good.
> 
> Edit: I may end up making this into a multi-chapter story. I feel like I left it off at a place where another chapter could begin.


End file.
